Archives for December 2016

Whether you’re getting ready for a new year ahead or you just want to feel that you have a guide to follow in order to create the virtual assistant business you really want, you need some kind of plan to make it happen.

In this video, I share with you my exact process for setting up my business for success, each and every year.

Take a look:

Things discussed in this video:

Use some type of planner or scheduling tool

Write down your goals

Always keep your goals in front of you

Create a schedule that works best for you

Work on daily tasks that will bring you to your goals

Want the step-by-step system that I use to plan out my business, as well as checklists and worksheets to track it all?

When I’m asked how I got my start online as a virtual assistant, I often tell the story of offering any and all services that I could think of to provide, and then eventually settling on general transcription.

Once I was able to really narrow down what I did and the type of clients I enjoyed working with, my marketing became easier and I was able to sign on steady clients.

Today, when I coach virtual assistants, I often help them through this process as well—figuring out what they enjoy doing most and who they love to work with.

And then I’m often asked by VAs if I think offering general transcription services would be right for them. This article is my response to that question.

How do you know if general transcription is right for you?

First, you need to consider your skills. You want to make sure that you are:

A fast and accurate typist

Good with spelling, grammar and punctuation

A great listener

Then you want to consider a target market.

Who needs general transcription?

There is not one definitive type of client, but here are a couple of industries to give you an idea:

Business and life coaches

Health & wellness experts

Speakers

Authors

Church and ministry industry

Journalists

Internet Marketers

What do you transcribe?

While I believe it’s difficult to earn enough income in your VA business by solely offering transcription services, I do think it’s a great complement to other services.

For example, if you offer your clients any type of assistance with content management, it might be a good fit for you. Perhaps you already help them with social media management or blog posting. Where are they getting their content?

Repurposing audio that already exists is a great way to find “new” content. Think about the audio or video that they already have:

Interviews

How-to videos

Speeches

Sermons

Coaching sessions

All of these things can be transcribed and used as written content.

What do you do with the transcripts?

Here is where you can get really creative and offer different kinds of services to your clients. You can turn the transcripts into written content that your clients can use as free or paid products.

As a virtual assistant, one of your marketing strategies to get new clients might be searching for them in online groups.

Places like Facebook and LinkedIn make it easy for us to find groups to socialize in.

And this marketing strategy can be very effective—if you know how to work it.

Here’s a secret:

Join groups that include YOUR specific target market! And then make real connections and relationships with those in the group.

Let me explain in more detail.

First, joining virtual assistant groups is a great idea. But not necessarily a place to find clients.

Remember—everyone else in there is looking for clients and building their business as well. Other virtual assistants are NOT your potential clients. (Unless that’s exactly who you’re targeting—that’s a different story—and a different conversation!)

So, should you bother to join virtual assistant groups?

Yes!

VA groups can be a great resource for you. You can get answers to questions so that you don’t stay stuck. For example, sometimes you just need a quick tech answer, or you’re wondering if other VAs have used a certain kind of software, and if they like it. Groups are great for that.

And don’t forget about the search feature in groups. You can often find a quick answer by typing your keyword(s) in to the search box and find threads that answer your question.

They’re also useful in making sure that you don’t feel so lonely in this industry. Many VAs feel isolated when they no longer have co-workers or any face-to-face contact with others. You might have family and friends who don’t really “get” what it is that you do, and aren’t really supportive. This is where you can come in to a VA group and find other like-minded people to support you.

If you visit a VA group enough, participate and help others out, it’s also a great place to network and make connections with other virtual assistants. You just might end up with a referral partner or two. Connect with VAs who offer different services and you can outsource work to them, start building a team or refer clients to them.

Being active in VA groups is also a way to get some free coaching. The groups are often run by VAs or VA coaches who have been in the industry for quite a while. There are also active veteran VA group members who will jump in, answer questions and offer advice. Think of it as a way to shorten your learning curve and move forward just a little faster in your business.

If you’re thinking of working with a VA coach to advance your business, getting involved in their group is a great way to get a sense of their style and see if you’d be a good fit to work together.

What doesn’t really work in these VA groups?

Only stopping in when you need more clients, and asking the group if they have anyone to refer to you.

Creating posts in the groups and/or linking to articles on your blog that explain the importance of hiring a VA. (This is a group that’s already filled with VAs, remember?)

Posting about your MLM or direct sales opportunity that you do on the side of your VA business.

Now let’s talk about joining groups that include your target market.

If you’re looking for new potential clients online, joining groups where THEY hang out is a smart marketing strategy.

I do understand that this can be a little out of your comfort zone. But you CAN do this!

First, you want to check the group rules/profile and make sure that they also accept people in the group that support their industry. (That would be you.)

Make sure to read all group rules, and follow them. You want to be respectful of the group owner.

Start going through the posts in the group and getting a feel for the conversations and style. You don’t necessarily have to jump in and post something right away.

If the group owner asks new members to make a new post and talk about yourself, take advantage of that. Make sure you let them get to know you as a business owner—but also you on a personal level. People do business with those that they know, like and trust.

Do you see any questions being asked in the group that you can help with? Then go ahead and post your answer. Be helpful!

Do NOT constantly spam the group with posts all about what you do and links to your site. That’s a quick way to get kicked out.

Think about what value you can add to the group. Maybe you can create a post that solves an issue you see mentioned in the group over and over again. Perhaps there is a tool or software you use that saves you tons of time and money that you could share with the group.

All in all, remember that these are real people and your goal is to develop real relationships. Be genuine, not spammy. Realize that it takes time and consistency to build these relationships.

You don’t meet someone on the street and immediately ask them to marry you, right? It’s the same thing here. You need to give this marketing strategy time, and establish relationships. If done right, it can be very effective for connecting with new clients.